The Lunch
by GeneaLady
Summary: Lucy decides to surprise Ricky with lunch... but she's the one that ends up getting surprised. Takes place the day after An Egg Cream and a Movie. Written in honor of, what would have been, Lucille Ball's 102nd birthday.


**Author's Note: This fic is my interpretation of how the situation between Ricky and 4luv4evr428's character Josephine (who can be found in her fic "The Decision") comes to happen. Thanks to her for letting me borrow her! I; however, only own Mr. Abbott.**

**This fic was written as an entry for the word challenge on the Facebook group "FanFiction .net Writers Unite!"****. (I had to put an extra space so it didn't get deleted.) The word for this week was "coffee".**

******This fic was also written in honor of, what would have been, Lucille Ball's 102nd birthday. Happy birthday, Lucy!**

**Lucy's line "Go chase yourself!" is meant to have similar meaning as "go _ yourself", but was actually the title of a movie Lucille Ball was in (in 1938).**

* * *

It was late morning and Lucy was busily working in the kitchen when she heard her best friend and roommate, Marion, come up behind her. "What're you doing, Lucy?" she asked.

"Making lunch for Ricky. I thought I'd surprise him by bringing him a picnic lunch and we'd eat on the roof," Lucy replied without turning around as she continued to work.

"That's sweet, Lucy, but don't you think it would be a good idea to not scare him off with your cooking quite yet?" The smile was evident in Marion's tone as she spoke.

"Oh, you!" Lucy jokingly reprimanded her as she turned around to face her. "Actually, I'm hoping to show him that I can provide him with delicious, home cooked meals after a hard day of work like every wife should."

"Lucy, you've barely been together a month!" Marion exclaimed. "I know he's dreamy, but you can't honestly be thinking of marrying him already. It took him a month just to tell you he loves you."

Lucy crossed her arms over her chest in thought. "I know it seems crazy Marion, but I really am. I can't explain it, but since the night we met, I've thought of little else than being Mrs. Ricky Ricardo and the mother of his children. I know it took him a while to tell me he loves me, but I knew from the moment our eyes met that he did. And I felt the same. Words aren't needed to describe what we feel. What we feel is beyond words, in any language. His heart speaks to mine and mine to his."

"Awww that's sweet," Marion said in a slightly sarcastic tone, but the smile on her face told Lucy that she meant it sincerely. "So that's why you're necking in dark theaters now?"

Lucy bit her lip and blushed, remembering the details of the evening before that she'd confided to Marion.

Not getting an answer from her, Marion prodded further, "If you two can't even control yourselves in public anymore, there's no telling what might happen on that roof. Are you sure you don't need a chaperone?"

"Oh stop, Marion," Lucy rolled her eyes. "The clubs in Miami were packed with floozies and that's one of the main reasons Ricky left. He wants a woman he can come home to, not a woman who'll just use him because he's talented and good looking."

"Yeah, I know... but you're still going to give me the details of your lunch date, right?"

Lucy just smiled and shook her head as she returned to her work.

Knowing she'd teased Lucy enough, she turned to the food on the counter, "So what are you making Loverboy for lunch?"

Smiling, Lucy pointed to the various food as she spoke, "Cuban sandwiches, Cuban potato salad, brownies, and coffee."

"Don't you think that's a bit cliché?" Marion snickered.

Lucy laughed, "Probably, but I wanted to make sure he'd enjoy it."

"Don't worry about, it. I've seen the way he looks at you... he won't even notice the food," Marion assured her as she walked out of the room.

* * *

At the club, Ricky wanted to pull the thick, raven hair that Lucy found so attractive out by the roots... and honestly, the only thing from keeping him doing just that was the fact that he didn't think Lucy would find him attractive bald. The problem wasn't the boys in the band, they were actually doing very well. The problem was Josephine, the new dancer he'd just hired.

If asking Lucy out was the best decision he ever made (and it was), then hiring Josephine was the worst. On paper and in audition, she seemed like the perfect choice. A classically trained dancer from childhood, she'd been in everything from dance recitals, to high school plays, to performances at Juilliard where she'd been a student. She was even in the Nutcracker on Broadway. However, none of these qualifications spoke of her character. During the audition, she'd been fairly professional. She definitely played into the role as his lover as they danced, but Ricky didn't think much of it at the time. After all, having convincing chemistry was important, or so he had initially rationalized to himself. Save for her excessive eye contact with and smiling at Ricky, she never once acted inappropriately around the other girls who were auditioning, but once she'd been hired she stuck to Ricky like a fly to sugar water.

"How does that last step go again, Ricky?" Josephine asked in a sickeningly sweet tone as she batted her eyelashes at him.

Ricky sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Josephine was talented as well as a quick learner. She knew the routine inside and out, so he knew she was just trying to get close to him.

"You'll do fine," he brushed her off.

"But Ricky..." her voice now had a touch of a childish whine to it. "What happens if I forget? I wouldn't want to trip and cause us to both fall over, now would I?"

Josephine knew that Ricky only had eyes for Lucy and was getting frustrated, and Ricky knew it. Unfortunately his professionalism took over and he didn't want to do anything that might jeopardize the performance, so he relented and grunted a "Fine," before directing the band to start the last few measures of the song with a count of two.

As the music began, Josephine began to fall, just as she had "predicted". She hooked her foot around Ricky's, the intentionality of her actions glaringly obvious to even the boys in the back of the room. Even though he knew she'd done so intentionally, his kind heart kicked in and he reached out to prevent her from falling onto the hard floor. Feeling his hands around her waist, Josephine grabbed Ricky by the shoulders and kissed him with passion that closely rivaled Lucy's... except for the fact that it couldn't have been more one sided if she'd kissed a brick wall.

"RICKY!"

A very soft, "Oh no..." was heard only by Marco, from who's lips the exclamation had come, but the thought was shared by everyone in the room.

At the very loud exclamation of his name, Ricky promptly dropped Josephine, causing her to fall quite hard on her backside, and looked up to see a blaze of firey red curls rush out the door, a picnic basket lay on the floor next to a thermos full of coffee that had cracked upon falling, a brown pool now spreading on the floor.

"Mierda!" Ricky muttered.

"Ricky!" Josephine finally spoke, coming to her senses after being literally dropped, but still selfishly ignorant at the trouble she'd just caused.

Hearing the voice of the woman who'd started this whole fiasco, he turned to her. "OUT! YOU'RE FIRED!" he bellowed at a volume he was sure his mother heard back in Havana.

"Come on boys, let's get outta here. Rehearsal's over," Marco said, taking charge.

Relieved that Marco had stepped in and canceled practice, Ricky didn't even bother affirming Marco's orders before practically jumping over the fallen food and running after Lucy.

* * *

After the boys left, quite eagerly as they didn't want to stick around to deal with Ricky's wrath should he return, Marco decided to stay and practice for that evening's show. He knew the pieces inside and out, but he thought Ricky could use a friend if he came back to the club and, depending how events unfolded, he wanted to be prepared in case he needed to fill in for Ricky at that evening's show. Not to mention the fact that now a new piece needed to be picked to replace Josephine's number. That decision was easy, however. He wanted something that the boys knew and enjoyed playing, that wasn't a love song in case Ricky was unable to get Lucy to understand by the time they had to go on, and that Ricky enjoyed so he quickly decided on C-U-B-A. retrieving the music for the song, he placed it on his piano and looked at his watch. If Lucy had ran straight home, she'd be there by now. It really wasn't his place, but he had to do something, so he went into Ricky's office to make a call on Ricky's behalf.

"Yes, I'd like the number for Lucille McGillicuddy please," Marco asked the operator when she answered.

"One moment please," she paused before continuing. "Would you like me to connect you or just give you the number, sir?"

"Connect me please," he replied politely.

As the phone began to ring, Marco became nervous. Was he doing the right thing? Would Lucy believe him? What would Ricky's reaction be when he found out he intervened, even if it was on his behalf? Based on how he'd reacted toward Josephine, Marco prayed, for his own sake, he wouldn't be angry.

"Hello," a voice not belonging to Lucy pulled Marco from his thoughts.

"Hello, this is Marco Rizo. I'm in Ricky's band. I was wondering if Lucy was home," Marco nervously stammered. Part of him was relieved to have not reached Lucy, but another prayed this stranger wouldn't ask questions about the reason behind his call.

"Oh... She isn't here... She was going to bring Ricky lunch today. I thought she'd be there by now," Marion said, clearly puzzled.

"Oh, well, please just tell her to call me down at the club when she gets in," Marco replied quickly, eager to get off the phone.

"I will..." Marion began, still confused.

"Thank you, Miss. Have a great day." Marco politely, but quickly ended the call before Marion could say anything more.

Unable to do anything more, Marco went back into the ballroom to await Lucy's call.

* * *

Once outside, Ricky looked up and down the street, afraid that she'd already made it out of sight. If she had, he prayed that she'd gone straight home. Thankfully, he found Lucy a half block down the street, but unfortunately the reason she was so easy to find was that she lay in a crumpled heap, sobbing on the sidewalk.

Not wanting to scare her off, he decided against calling to her and instead wordlessly ran up to her. As he drew closer, he noticed that, even in her sorrow, she looked like a beautiful ray of sunshine. The combination of her pale yellow dress and her bright red hair was more beautiful than any sunset he ever saw. When he reached her, a police man approached her.

"It's ok, officer. I got 'er," Ricky waived off the cop.

Looking thoughtfully from Ricky to Lucy, he paused only momentarily before turning and walking way, satisfied that Ricky was not going to harm her.

"Get... away..." she gasped between sobs.

"Lucy, you dun't understand..." he quietly pleaded with her.

"I said go! Go back to Josephine."

"Lucy, I dun't wanna go back ta her. I fired her."

Ignoring him, Lucy continued, although more to herself than to Ricky, "I can't believe it! Just this morning I told Marion that you left Miami to avoid girls like that... and then I find you kissing that... that..." she fished for the word Ricky had used to describe the women in the gin joints. "Puta!"

Lucy was too caught up in her emotions to realize that they were creating a scene. If she had, she would have noticed the Hispanic man walking past them at exactly the moment she uttered the word "puta" and the fact that he'd whipped his head around in shock that a "gringo", much less a woman, knew that word.

"Lucy, she kissed me..." Ricky tried to explain.

"Ah ha! You don't even try to deny it," Lucy confirmed.

"No... that's not what I meant! I meant I didn't kiss her back," Ricky was trying to keep his temper under control, but as every moment passed that Lucy remained unconvinced of what had truly happened, he became more furious with Josephine. How dare she try to destroy the magic he had with Lucy!

"Well you didn't deny she's a puta either..." Suddenly her anger and tear reddened face paled. "You... you think I'm a puta, too, don't you? That's why you kissed me the way you did last night at the movies! Well, Ricky Ricardo, I can assure you that I am NOT a puta, so if that's the kind of girl you want to be with, then be my guest... But you sure won't get that from me!"

Aye Dios. Lucy's words sickened Ricky. How could she even compare herself to Josephine? They were night and day. Lucy is not only kind and generous, but she respects herself and has high morals. Her outward beauty is by far not her most important quality, but she is also far more beautiful than Josephine. The last thing she is, is a puta.

Clamoring to alleviate Lucy of any thoughts, Ricky spoke quickly, "Lucy! You know that's not what I think a you! You're nothin' like Josephine! You're sweet, an' kind, an' you'd never do the thins she does! I kissed ya like that because I love ya. But if ya dun't want me ta kiss ya like that til we're married, I wun't. I'd never make ya do anythin' ya didn't wanna do..."

As he spoke, Ricky reached over to caress her cheek. For the first time since they met, Lucy flinched at his touch. She didn't just flinch, she shoved his hand way as if his touch had burned her, got up, and began running.

"Lucy!" Ricky called as he began to chase after her.

"Go chase yourself!" she yelled back without turning around as she ran in the opposite direction of her apartment to assure that Ricky wouldn't find her quickly.

At Lucy's insult, Ricky stood shocked on the street. Had his sweet Lucy really just said that? As much as he wanted to obey his heart and run after her, he'd already tried explaining what had happened and how he felt about her to no avail, so he feared that disobeying her request now would only infuriate her more. Not having anything else to do, he decided to walk back into the club and make a very undesired, but necessary, call to Mr. Abbott.

* * *

When he entered the ballroom, he was surprised to hear a cheerful melody fill the room. "Marco, whadda ya still doin' here? I told ya ta go home."

"I... uh..." Marco fumbled, not wanting Ricky to know he stuck around to make sure he was ok. "I figured we'd need an extra piece tonight so I decided on C-U-B-A. That way you didn't have to worry about it. That ok, Jefe?"

Ricky, in spite of his foul mood and broken heart, couldn't help but smile. He was thankful that Marco was not only his friend, but that he stepped up and took control of things that he really didn't want to deal with right now, and the fact that he'd picked his favorite song was definitely a plus.

"Yeah, that's fine. Gracias."

"De nada," Marco replied in their native tongue. "Did you find Lucy?"

"Gotta call Mr. Abbott," Ricky ignored Marco's question and headed to his office.

When Marco heard Ricky's office door slam shut, he thought to himself, "This isn't good..."

* * *

Picking up the phone, Ricky dialed Mr. Abbott's home number. "Hello," the man answered almost immediately.

"Mr. Abbott, it's Ricky," he began.

"Ricky, it's not like you to call me in the afternoon when I'm at home... what can I do for you?" Mr. Abbott questioned.

"I'm callin' about Josephine..." Ricky began.

"Is she sick? Did she injure herself?" Mr. Abbott grew worried about the status of his show.

"I wish that was the case sir. I had ta fire her." Ricky said quickly, as if he was ripping off a band-aid.

"What?! Why?!" Mr. Abbott angrily exclaimed.

"I had no choice," Ricky attempted to calm his boss. "She's been overly friendly with me since the day I hired her, battin' her eyes at me and makin' sure she's never more than a foot away from me at practice. I've been tryin' to jus' ignore it, but t'day at practice... she kissed me."

"Oh..." Mr. Abbott was clearly at a loss for words. Of all the scenarios that went through his head in those brief moments, that wasn't one of them.

"Well, then... You made the right decision Ricky. We can't have the Tropicana associated with the likes of her," Mr. Abbott stated.

Ricky let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, sir. I'll just 'plain ta the crowd t'night that circumstances are outta our control and we're doin' C-U-B-A instead.

"That'll be fine Ricky. I just hope she didn't cause too much trouble." Mr. Abbott said in a tone that was almost apologetic.

Ignoring his last comment, Ricky simply thanked Mr. Abbott, told him he'd see him later that night, and hung up. Relieved that was over, he sat down to think.

* * *

Both emotionally and physically exhausted, Lucy finally reached her apartment. She'd only gone around the block to throw Ricky off her trail and she was partially disappointed that it had worked. When she went to open the door, she found it locked. Reaching into her purse for her key, she was partially relieved to have the apartment to herself, but also disappointed that Marion wasn't home for her to talk to. As much as she'd joked about Lucy's relationship with Ricky, she knew how in love they were and would knock some sense into her.

When she entered the apartment, she muttered under her breath as she kicked off her shoes, one of which now had a broken heal from running. Looking up, she found a note taped to the wall above the coat rack. Picking it up, she read:

_Lucy,_

_Went out for groceries. Marco Rizo called, but I told him that I thought you'd be at the club already. He wants you to call him at the club. So, if you haven't seen him today, call him._

_-Marion_

Lucy tore up the note. "Why would he want me to call him? Probably just to make excuses for Ricky... well, like heck I'm going to call him! Ricky's lame excuses were enough!" Lucy fumed aloud in spite of being alone.

After a few moments; however, Lucy had a change of heart. What if that wasn't why he'd called? What if something was wrong with Ricky? Was he sick? Was he hurt? He had once told her that he couldn't live without her. What if he thought he didn't have a chance to win her back and... Lucy's stomach churned. As angry as she'd been with him even moments ago, the thought that something was wrong made Lucy's heart sink. What would she do if something had happened to him?

Hurrying to the phone, she dialed the club.

At the Tropicana, Marco rushed to the phone as the main line rang. He didn't want Ricky answering it. "Hello, Tropicana," he spoke.

"Marco, it's Lucy. Marion left a note saying that you called," Lucy nervously began, not able to decide which scenario running through her head she wanted to hear more... or least.

"Lucy, I wanted to explain about what happened today at the club..." Marco began.

"Ha! You explain?! I didn't even believe Ricky, what makes you think I want to hear your explanation?!" Lucy angrily fumed.

"Lucy, please," Marco implored her. "If you gave Ricky any chance to talk, I'm sure he told you that he had nothing to do with that kiss."

"That's what he said..." she said in a tone that made it clear that she didn't believe him.

"He was telling the truth. Josephine's been on him like a second skin since he hired her. He didn't like it, but he was the one that hired her so he was just trying to deal with it til her contract was up. It was only for a couple more weeks so he thought he could handle it. She'd been on him since rehearsal started to go over and over her steps even though we all know she had it down cold. He kept trying to blow her off until she said that if she didn't practice again she might forget and trip them during the show. Ricky would never do anything to cause something to go wrong during the show, so he gave in... and sure enough, she purposely tripped herself. As mad as Ricky had been at her, he didn't want her to hurt herself, so he grabbed her to prevent her from falling... That was the exact moment that she kissed him and you walked in. Before he ran after you, he fired her, so you don't need to worry about seeing her if you come to the show tonight. When he came back to the club, I asked him if he'd found you and he didn't answer me, so I figured either he didn't find you or you didn't believe what he told you."

Knowing that, except for being angry and heartbroken, Ricky was ok, Lucy let out a sigh of relief.

She didn't have time to reply before Marco continued, "I really hope you'll come down and watch the show. Ricky feels just awful. He came back after running after you and went right into his office. He hasn't come out since."

Lucy felt terrible. It was bad enough that she'd accused him of cheating on her, especially after he tried explaining, but to insinuate that he thought she was one of "those" girls was just cruel. What was she going to do? Her first thought was to immediately call Ricky, who she now knew was at the club. No, as much as she wanted to hear his voice, he deserved a face-to-face apology. Not to mention the fact that she was unsure if he'd even take her call now. Should she go down to the club tonight? That sounded like a better idea, but maybe Ricky needed the night to cool off. What about tomorrow while he was having rehearsal?

"Lucy, are you still there?" Marco asked, snapping Lucy from her thoughts.

"Oh, sorry, Marco. Yes, I'm still here." Lucy apologized.

"Are you going to come to the show tonight?" Marco asked. "Ricky wants nothing more than to see you. I'm not sure if he'll even go on if you're not in your usual spot."

In spite of her not knowing what she was going to do, Lucy smiled at Marco's words. "I don't know," she admitted. "But I will be there tomorrow night for sure."

"Ok," Marco said disappointedly.

"Marco, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell Ricky that you called me," Lucy said.

Marco laughed, "Don't worry, I won't. Based on Ricky's temper toward Josephine today, I'm not going to do anything to get on Ricky's bad side intentionally."

"Me either," Lucy replied. "I've done enough of that already."

"No you didn't," Marco assured her. "He's mad at Josephine not you."

Lucy didn't believe him entirely, but she decided to drop it. "Marco, thank you," she said instead. "I really appreciate you sticking your neck out for Ricky. He's lucky to have a friend like you."

"Thanks," Marco said sincerely before hanging up.

* * *

Lucy felt better than she had since leaving the club, but she still had no clue what she was going to do. Maybe Marion... Before she could finish her thought, Marion walked in with the groceries.

"Here! Let me help you," Lucy said, walking toward Marion and taking one of the bags from her.

"Thanks. So, how was your lunch date? Marco called for you, but I thought you'd be at the club already... Did you get the message I left you?"

"Lunch didn't go as planned," Lucy sighed.

Seeing the look on her friend's face, Marion stopped putting the groceries away and turned toward Lucy, "What happened?"

"Just as I walked into the ballroom, I saw Ricky kissing his new dancer," Lucy sighed, the painful memory still burned in her memory no matter how much at fault Ricky wasn't.

"What?!" Marion fumed.

"Calm down Marion," she attempted.

"Calm down? That's the last thing I expected you to say..." Marion continued.

"The reason Marco called was to explain what happened since I didn't give Ricky the chance. Turns out that this Josephine is quite the floozie and happened to throw herself at Ricky at the same moment I walked in the door," Lucy explained.

"Oh no! So now what? Did you call Ricky?" Marion had calmed considerably, but was still full of questions.

"No, I didn't call Ricky. I acted horribly. Not only did I not believe him when he tried to explain what happened, but since I thought he was attracted to her, I accused Ricky of only going with me because he thought I was a floozie, too."

Marion's jaw dropped, "Lucy! You didn't!"

Lucy sheepishly nodded her head, "I did."

"Oh Lucy... What are you going to do? You're going down to see his show tonight, right?" Marion asked.

"I don't know Marion... I want to, but I don't want Ricky distracted while he's performing so I might just go down there tomorrow during rehearsal."

Marion just shook her head, "Lucy, Ricky may be the Cuban, but you're the one that's loco. You really think he won't be distracted if you're not there?"

Lucy smiled slightly. "I suppose you're right. Maybe..." Lucy thought for a moment. "Yeah! I'll sneak in and watch from the door and then I'll talk to him after the show. I just hope he can forgive me..."

"I'm sure he will!" Marion assured her. "Now go get ready, you need to look like a knock out tonight."

* * *

In her room, Lucy paced. She hadn't even been this nervous for her and Ricky's official date. She scanned her closet, not having any idea what she was going to wear. Since she was at the club every night, Ricky had seen all of her formal wear at least once. Hm... that gave her an idea. Reaching into her closet, she chose a black strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline. It was the same dress that she was wearing and the night she and Ricky met.

Looking in the mirror, Lucy checked her appearance one last time. She had paired the dress with silver strappy high heels, diamond stud earrings, and a silver chain with a single diamond that rested just above her cleavage. Her red curls were pulled up at the sides in silver combs and she wore her signature red lipstick and accentuated her eyes with a double coat of mascara.

"Well?" Lucy asked, twirling for her friend.

"Lucy, you look amazing. You won't even need to apologize. He'll forget everything that happened the moment he looks at you."

Lucy beamed, "Thanks. Don't wait up. If I can get him to talk to me, I'm going to spend as much time with him as I can."

"Have fun!" Marion called to Lucy as she walked out the door.

* * *

Arriving at the Tropicana, Lucy took a deep breath before entering. "Here goes nothing," she thought. The show would be starting in just a few minutes, so she was almost positive that she wouldn't run into Ricky before it started.

As she walked to the door, she was greeted by the head waiter, "Good evening Ms. McGillicuddy. Your usual table is still free. The show will be starting any moment. Would you like me to seat you?"

Lucy shook her head. "No thank you. Ricky doesn't actually know I'm here. I'm going to watch the show from the door and talk to him afterward."

"Ok..." the man said puzzled.

Lucy didn't have to worry about explaining further because she soon heard someone call her name. Turning toward the voice, she saw Marco walking toward her.

"Lucy! You came!" the relief in Marco's voice was clear.

Lucy smiled at him, "I did. But Ricky doesn't know I'm here. I don't want to talk to him til after the show. Please don't tell him I'm here."

Marco nodded. "Gotta get back there. Enjoy the show," he told her before giving her a quick side hug and running toward back stage. Halfway down the hall, Marco turned back to Lucy, and called, "You believe what I said, right?"

Lucy smiled and nodded, causing Marco to smile in return as he gave her a wave and continued.

* * *

Back stage, Ricky was a mess. The last thing he wanted to do was perform right now. The last time Ricky felt like this was when his father died. He had hoped that Lucy would have come to him before the show, but there was still no sign of her. He was tempted to just tell Marco to handle it, but Ricky was hoping that Lucy was out there and if she was, he wanted to sing his heart out for her, even though he'd much prefer just grabbing her and running off with her. That thought was the only thing that pushed him through the curtain as he heard Marco play his entrance cue.

Once center stage, Ricky immediately looked at Lucy's table... only to find it empty. Immediately his stomach churned and he was certain he was going to vomit right there. Taking a deep breath and blinking the tears from his eyes, Ricky struggled to find his voice.

"Good evening ladies an' gentlemen. Welcome to the Tropicana. Unfortunately there has been a change in t'night's show. Due ta circumstances beyond our control, Josephine Martinez will not be performing at the Tropicana. We have; however, replaced her number with one of my favorites as well as that of the band. We hope that it's one of your favorites as well. Thank you for understanding an' enjoy the show."

His speech given, he sighed as he turned to conduct the band in the start of the first number.

* * *

As soon as Ricky stepped on stage, Lucy gasped. She wasn't prepared for how devastated Ricky looked. To anyone who didn't know him, they may have not noticed anything different in his demeanor, but Lucy knew that he was just putting on an act... a very good act because he was also extremely professional and would do everything he could to keep his personal life from affecting work, but it was an act none the less and Lucy saw right through it.

As the numbers went on, silent tears slid down Lucy's cheeks. Seeing him like that was heart breaking and it took everything she had to not run up to him in the middle of a number. She suddenly realized that waiting til after the show to talk to him was a very bad idea. She looked forward to the end of each number because she knew she was one number closer to being able to run into Ricky's arms.

As Babalu ended, Ricky calmly set his drum down and walked off stage. This was very different from the way he normally ended his performances, taking an appreciative bow and then running energetically off stage.

Once Ricky was out of sight, Lucy took a deep breath, wiped her eyes, removed her shoes so her heels wouldn't click on the tile floor, and began running down the hall toward Ricky's office.

* * *

As soon as he got into his office, Ricky slammed the door in a mixture of sadness and anger, not in the least concerned if someone dancing in the ballroom had heard it. She hadn't come. How could she have not come? He loved her! She knew that! Sure, he understood that she needed time to cool off, but how could she have doubted his love for her enough to not show up?

Completely devastated, he slumped to the floor, not even bothering to sit on the chair in front of his desk. As tears began to fall, he heard a knock at the door.

"VETE!" he barked angrily as he wiped his tears, but made no effort to stand.

Wincing from his reaction, Lucy reminded herself that he didn't know it was her. Taking a moment to gather herself, she slipped her shoes on before slowly opening the door.

"Ricky, honey, it's me..." she said softly, looking around the room for him.

Hearing her voice, he quickly clamored to his feet. He couldn't breathe, much less speak. She was here. She was actually here. Turning in her direction, the two locked eyes. Neither spoke. Neither moved. Neither breathed.

Finally, Lucy broke the palpable tension in the room when she involuntary took a shuddering breath. Hearing her breathe, Ricky was brought out of his daze and tried to speak, but the combination of shock that she was there and awe at her beauty caused him to remain tongue tied. Unable to find his voice, he simply smiled and held out his arms for her.

At his silent invitation, Lucy wasted no time running into his arms. As soon as she felt his strong arms tighten around her, she wrapped her arms around his neck and began to sob uncontrollably in complete relief to be back in his arms, where she belonged.

Hearing her sob broke Ricky's heart. He'd heard enough of her tears in this one day to last him a hundred life times. "Shhh... It's ok baby... I'm here... I love you..." Ricky attempted to calm her by rubbing her back softly, but hearing his declaration of love for her only made Lucy sob harder.

Forming an idea, Ricky lowered his head so his mouth nearly brushed Lucy's ear lobe. Letting her feel the comfort of his warm breath on her skin, he paused briefly before he began speaking in Spanish. In hushed tones, he told her how much he loved her, how beautiful she was, and how thrilled he was to have her back in his arms. "Te quiero mucho, mi bella. Es maravilloso tenerte en mis brazos," he said, his voice thick with emotion.

The volume of Ricky's words was so low that Lucy could barely hear him over her sobs and she didn't understand him anyway, but the sound of his voice quickly calmed her and Ricky smiled against her neck as Lucy finally attempted to control her breathing.

After a few forced attempts, Lucy finally spoke. "I...I didn't think... you'd ever... forgive me..." Lucy gasped between breaths, still too ashamed at her behavior to lift her head from where it was buried in Ricky's chest.

"Lucy look at me," he gently prompted her.

When she didn't move, he dropped his arms from around her waist and cupped her chin gently in his hands, lifting it up. When she still didn't open her eyes, Ricky leaned down to her ear again and whispered, "Open your eyes for me, baby. I love you," in a tone that he hoped would make her shiver. Feeling her do just that, he smiled and looked at her. She was so cute when she bit her bottom lip to keep herself from smiling.

"There's those blue eyes that I love so much," he said breaking into a wide grin before kissing her gently on the forehead.

"Now," he continued seriously. "You have nothin' to 'pologize for."

"But, Ricky, I said awful things to you!" she rebutted.

"You were mad. You saw what ya saw an' ya din't know what really happen'd," he tried to dismiss her behavior.

"But you told me what happened and I didn't believe you!" she exclaimed in a tone that told him just how horrible she felt.

"Shhh...," he soothed her, kissing her forehead again. "You believe me now, right?"

"Of course," she replied.

"Then dun't worry 'bout it," he told her.

"But I told you to go chase yourself!" she exclaimed as she avoided eye contact with him and her sobs started again, completely mortified that she'd insulted the man she loved more than anything in such a way.

"I know. I forgive you," he whispered, holding her tight. He knew she'd never say something like that intentionally, her words were fueled by anger. But, he also knew that if he didn't say he forgave her, she'd never forgive herself either- and that was most important.

"It's not just that Ricky... I said you liked girls like that and that you thought I was like her...," She choked between sobbs.

Ricky's stomach churned. The fact that Lucy had compared herself to Josephine was the worst part of the entire day and he was going to put a stop to any lingering thoughts Lucy might have immediately.

"Lucy," he said in a firm, but loving tone. "You know I didn't kiss Josephine, right?"

Lucy nodded.

"An' you know I can't stan' girls like her... I wun't even work with 'em, right?"

"Yeah," Lucy said quietly, a small smile spreading across her face as she remembered hearing Ricky fire Josephine from the street.

"An' you know..." he began as lovingly wrapped his arms around Lucy's waist, pulling her flush to him. "...that I dun't think you're anythin' like Josephine, right? Or am I gunna hafta give you a list of every way you're exactly the opposite of her...?"

"Well..." she playfully replied, causing Ricky to laugh.

"You could do somethin' for me though," he replied seriously.

"What?" she asked.

"Kiss me..." he whispered seductively. "Make me forget what Josephine's lips felt like on mine... yours are the only lips I want."

Smiling, she wound her arms around Ricky's neck and claimed his lips in a warm kiss. While their tongues didn't touch, their kiss was still filled with passion and both were soon moaning softly into the kiss.

"Mmm... that's better," he smiled, when the kiss broke.

"Indeed...," Lucy whispered in agreement.

"Lucy, 'bout last night in the theater," Ricky began, her words from earlier still in his mind. "I meant what I said this afternoon. If you dun't want me ta kiss ya like that til we're married, then I wun't."

At the words "til we're married," Lucy's heart began to race, but she decided to let his words slide and not draw attention to them. She did; however, bring two of her finger tips to Ricky's lips to hush him.

"No," she said shaking her head. "I know you kiss me like that because you love me, and I enjoy kissing you like that." Lucy blushed at her admission.

"You do?" he asked, more reveling in her admission than actually asking the question.

Instead of answering with her words, Lucy gently pulled Ricky's head down to her, claiming his lips in a passionate kiss, almost as if she was claiming him back from Josephine. Her body was so close to his that he could feel her heart race against his. Simultaneously, both of their mouths opened and Lucy sought Ricky's tongue with her own. When their tongues touched, any remaining stress from the day vanished and they relaxed in the other's embrace as their tongues danced.

Finally out of breath, they broke apart, but never breaking eye contact. When Ricky could speak again, he whispered, "How 'bout we go up on the roof? I'm not ready ta take ya home yet."

In reply, Lucy smiled, nodded, and wrapped her arm around his waist.

As they made their way down the hall, they passed Marco who, seeing that all was right between the two, was grinning like a cat that ate a canary. "'Night!" he called.

"'Night, Marco!" Ricky and Lucy replied in unison, not taking their eyes off each other as they walked.

* * *

When they reached the roof, they walked over to the old piano bench that Ricky had brought up for them to sit on the first week of their courtship and Lucy waited for him to sit before sitting sideways on his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. Once Lucy was settled, Ricky wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, never wanting to let her go. At the feeling of being in the other's arms, Ricky and Lucy sighed simultaneously.

After a few moments of just enjoying each other's company in the quietness of the starlit night, Ricky nuzzled Lucy's neck before whispering, "I love you."

At his words, Lucy turned her head and smiled. "I love you, too," replied as she leaned in to kiss him, her tongue gently dancing with his.

When the kiss broke, Lucy looked at Ricky and asked coyly, "So... about that list?"

Thinking she was joking, Ricky chuckled. "Very funny,"

"I'm serious!" she giggled playfully.

Ricky was sure Lucy knew he loved her and why, but given the events of the day, he decided to indulge her. "Well..." he said, thinking briefly. "You're kind,"

He kissed her forehead.

"You're smart."

He kissed her cheek.

"You're funny."

He kissed her other cheek.

"You have self respect," he stressed that one before kissing her nose.

"You're beautiful."

He kissed her behind the ear.

"And most of all...," he whispered, his lips now just a breath away from hers. "You love me."

When he finished, he tightened his arms around Lucy and claimed her lips in a firey kiss, his tongue soon requesting entrance. As soon as Lucy eagerly opened her mouth to him, their tongues began dueling with even more passion than they had at the movie theater the night before, neither able to get enough of the other. When breaking the kiss became vital for survival, both were left gasping for air, their chests heaving as they struggled to get oxygen into their bodies quickly.

"I do..." Lucy said, in response to Ricky's last statement, when she was able to speak again.

How could two words have such profound effect on a man? The combination of those two words and Lucy's heaving chest that was accentuated by her daring neck line and the street lamp next to them made Ricky's body react and Lucy smirked with satisfaction.

Not wanting to draw attention to his already obvious physical reaction, Ricky spoke, "So, when did ya realize ya believed me?"

Curling back into Ricky's embrace, Lucy thought for a moment before answering, "Well, if I set my pride aside, at least part of me knew you were telling me the truth as soon as you said she kissed you and not the other way around... But it was really hard to get the image of another beautiful woman kissing you out of my head."

"She's not beautiful compared to you," Ricky whispered, kissing her forehead.

"I really thought you were going to come after me when I started to run, so when you didn't, I started doubting again," she explained.

"I saw those heels, I was afraid of getting kicked!" Ricky laughed.

"Oh, I know. I told you not to follow me, so I shouldn't have expected you, too."

"No... I should have," he began.

Lucy shook her head. "No. I respect you for wanting to preserve your ability to have children," she said impishly.

Ricky laughed and winked at her, both of them knowing "with me" was heavily implied.

"But what really convinced me, was Marco," Lucy stated.

Ricky's shoe button eyes widened, "Marco?"

Lucy laughed as she nodded, "By the time I'd gotten home, he'd already called. When I returned his call, he explained what happened with Josephine and told me that I shouldn't be mad at you. He was bound and determined to get us back together again... I think if I hadn't shown up tonight, he would have sent me flowers in your name tomorrow."

Ricky laughed, "I owe Marco a lot. He's had my back since the day we met."

"You do!" Lucy laughed in return. "And to think I almost didn't call him back."

"What made ya call 'im?" Ricky asked, sincerely curious.

"Well... I figured he was calling me to tell me it was your fault. I'm not sure I was still mad at you, or just the situation, but I really didn't want to hear it... at least not yet. But then I thought maybe he was calling because something had happened to you...," Lucy trailed off as her voice broke.

Ricky held her tight and rubbed her bare back and shoulders. "Shhh...," he soothed her. "I'm fine."

"I...know...," she gasped between shuddering breaths. "Breaking up would have been bad enough... but I don't know what I would have done if something would have hap...happened to you... You said you couldn't live without me, so I thought maybe you..."

"Lucy," he whispered, bringing her chin up with his hand so she looked him in the eye. "We din't break up an' nothin' happen'd ta me. I'm here an' you're here with me. Feel my arms around you?"

Lucy nodded. "I love you so much..." she whispered.

"I love you, too," he whispered in reply before kissing her softly.

When the kiss broke, Lucy yawned.

"Com'on," Ricky said he softly stroked her cheek. "I need ta get ya home."

Lucy shook her head emphatically, much like a little girl refusing her father's orders to go to bed. "I'm fine," she managed before yawning again.

Ricky laughed, "Com'on. As much as I love havin' ya in my arms, ya live too far away for me ta carry ya."

The two walked slowly to Lucy's apartment, neither quite ready to part ways. When they reached her door, they stood silently for several moments just holding hands and looking into each other's eyes. "I love you," Ricky finally whispered.

"I love you, too," Lucy replied, leaning in for a passionate kiss.

When the kiss broke, the two remained in the other's arms for a few moments longer. "Sweet dreams," Ricky whispered in her ear.

"Goodnight," Lucy replied before kissing him on the cheek and heading inside.

* * *

The next morning, Lucy woke with a smile on her face. All was right with her and Ricky again. Slipping on her house coat, she went into the kitchen to get some coffee. "Morning Marion," Lucy said to her roommate who was sitting in the kitchen with her back to her.

"Lucy! How did it go last night?" Marion eagerly asked for details, no doubt hoping they'd be juicy.

Lucy smiled, but before she could answer, they heard a soft noise outside their door. "What was that?" she wondered aloud.

Setting down her coffee, Lucy walked to the door and opened it. On the welcome mat was a boquet of White Butterfly flowers. Smiling, picked up the flowers and smelled them before reaching for the card.

_My gorgeous redhead,_

_I'm heading into the club early and wanted to drop these off myself. These flowers grow all over Cuba. They're soft, delicate, and sweet smelling... Just like you. I hope you had a good night's sleep. My dreams were filled of you, like they always are. I can't wait til tonight. I'll be singing just for you._

_All my love,_

_Your Latin Loverboy_

Reading the note, a single tear rolled down her cheek as she looked for Ricky. Not finding him, she was disappointed that he'd already snuck out of sight, but she was also pleased that he'd managed to surprise her. Shutting the door she went back into the kitchen. Ricky was going to need a substantial lunch if he wanted to have energy for tonight's performance.


End file.
